


Cold Souls and Colder Bodies

by EvilLittleImp



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action/Adventure, Blood, Death, F/M, Friendship, Gore, Minor Character Death, Minor Romances, Pain, Suicide, Torture, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:01:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26796289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvilLittleImp/pseuds/EvilLittleImp
Summary: Follow our characters as they try to live through the Zombie Apocalypse, killing the people they love. They will try and make it to Antarctica.'The four friends stared, speechless at their former classmates. Nobody knew what to say or do, so they just stood there. They just had to go. There wasn’t another option. What could they say to any of this? It was just bound to end in tears, and they didn’t have time for that right now. They didn’t have time to feel or mourn. They had to go.'This story is in progress. I don't know how long it will take, but it will be finished eventually. My friends and I are writing this based on what we think would happen, so these OCs are mostly real people. I hope you enjoy! Mind the warnings.
Comments: 39
Kudos: 5





	1. School's Out

**Author's Note:**

> This is a very graphic story, so please mind the warnings when you read. It will get darker as we go along, so you have been warned. There will be a lot of grotesque images burned into your brain if you read this.
> 
> Enjoy!

Chapter 1 - School’s Out

_ Bang! _

Margaret’s pistol sounded through the woods as she put a bullet in yet another corpse. Lou was holding fast, trying not to vomit as she shot the gun she had been gifted. Everxst and Jesse were back to back, one firing off arrows while the other drove a knife into the nearest head.

“There’re too many!” Lou screamed desperately.

“No kidding, Dorkus!” Margaret yelled back.

“Shut up and kill the stupid undead, idiots!” Jesse chided loudly as she pulled one of her arrows out of a rotting skull.

The zombies were moving in quickly, and there were hundreds. Bullets and arrows were flying fast; and running out.

“I knew bringing a knife was a good idea.”

“No one needs an ‘I told you so’, Everxst.”

“We’re all gonna die!”

“I swear, Lou, if you don’t shut it, I will shoot you next.”

“But it’s true!”

“There’s a break in the woods!”

“Everyone, move your arses!”

{[(---*---*---)]}

It was just another boring Tuesday. After a math quiz, Everxst was already brain dead, but the next subject was  _ grammar _ . What was the flipping point?! She dragged herself into class when the teacher called for everyone. Lou, Margaret, and Jesse were right behind her. Was Jesse actually smiling? Nerd.

They took their seats, all near each other. When Ms. Shizel asked for grammar books to be taken out, there was a collective groan from the class. On the bright side, it was one o’clock, only two more hours of school.

Zoe Golddigger was discreetly doing TikTok dances in her front row seat while Ms. Shizel announced that they would be doing adverbs. At that, Jesse looked a little less excited, but she still had that nerdy, slightly evil, smirk on her face, almost hidden by her dirty blonde hair. However, Lou and Margaret looked like someone had just told them to shoot a puppy. Everxst just sighed as she watched Luke and Rose give each other a sideways smile. She shipped it hard.

Margaret was doing backflips in her mind. How the hell was that an adverb?  _ ‘I thought that was a noun! I hate grammar.’  _ She was never going to use this! Margaret looked over at Lou’s confused expression as she stared daggers at her book. Jesse was smiling as she underlined several words in the long paragraph. What was wrong with that kid? Lou’s long, black hair fell in her face as she quietly banged her forehead against the desk. Jesse looked up worridely and Everxst gave Lou a sympathetic smile. Margaret just shook her head and went back to glaring hatefully at her page while Everxst, who was seated in front of her, tossed her brown hair over her shoulder and onto Margaret’s desk.  _ ‘Why?!’  _

As the minutes ticked away, everything became more interesting than her book. Margaret looked around the classroom, searching for  _ anything _ . Anything that wasn’t related to adverbs or self-harm, as Lou switched back and forth from banging her head to poking her arm with a pencil. Jesse wasn’t interesting, she was going ahead in her book. Everxst was just looking at Jesse’s paper, stealing answers. Sydney and Hamen were talking about guns and… did she hear “pocket knife”? Margaret knew several people in class had pocket knives with them, though it wasn’t allowed, herself included. Luke and Jason had pocket knives on them as well. Eveline and John seemed to be having a staring contest while Jacob snickered. Luke, Jordan, and Rose were playing some odd version of rock-paper-scissors. Abby and Kira were laughing quietly while Zoe showed them more little dances. This class was weird.

Suddenly, heavy pounding sounded from outside. The person running up the ramp swung the door open and dashed inside, hands on knees, doubled over. Some red headed kid Margaret didn’t know looked up at Ms. Shizel and started rambling fearfully.

“Calm down, Miles, and tell me what happened,” the teacher said, vaguely annoyed.

“Turn on the news!”

Ms. Shizel reached for the remote to the television mounted on the wall. Once it was turned on, she flipped to a news channel.

‘... It started in Canada, but it’s quickly moving through Washington and into Oregon. This sudden epidemic has yet to be identified, but people have already named it “The Zombie Apocalypse”. Everyone is advised to stay inside as we have yet to hear what is going to be done about it. This video was taken by an anonymous source earlier today…’

And it cut off to a grainy, shaky video of a guy screaming “dude!” while angling the camera at...  _ something _ . It almost looked human, but its skin was a slimy greenish-gray color and it didn’t have eyes. It was moaning and groaning and maybe even trying to speak, Margaret couldn’t tell. Its limbs were bent in different directions, and some of its flesh looked like it had been ripped away, leaving bloody bone exposed. No wonder people were calling it a zombie. It looked just like she had imagined one would.

“The pastor wants everyone to move into the gym. He says they’re coming to Eternity!” the kid yelled frantically.

They were coming here? To this town? Margaret didn’t know whether to smile at the kid or gawk at the teacher. Ms. Shizel actually looked  _ worried _ . She wasn’t going to panic, was she? Margaret had had enough of insolent teachers before, she didn’t need another one.

“Okay, everyone, calm yourselves,” Ms. Shizel said to her gasping class, “Miles go tell Ms. Pritchard.”

“Yes, okay, good.”

“Everyone, single file down the ramp, grab your bags,” the teacher instructed as everyone got up. 

All the students grabbed their school bags and filed out the door. Margaret and Jesse walked towards each other with twin smiles as everyone around them descended into worried chatter. This whole thing may be scary, but it was also ridiculous.

“Zombies in Eternity?” Jesse raised an eyebrow.

The two simultaneously burst into laughter as they caught several stares from their classmates. 

“This is bad,” came Lou’s nervous voice from behind them.

Margaret and Jesse turned to see Lou and Everext staring at them. The two looked like twitchy children as they stood, trying not to be scared. Everxst looked like she might be worried about something, but Lou looked down right terrified.

“Relax, Lou, it’ll be fine,” Jesse smiled reassuringly at her friend.

“You better be right,” Lou sighed.

All the children were herded into the gym where they saw all the other classes gathered. From Pre-K to high school, everyone was there. Pastor Gunter was standing near a table, trying to get all the chatter to quiet down. Even the teachers were ignoring him, though. One of them had brought a radio with them and they were listening to the broadcast.

‘These odd creatures are continuing to move forward. They’ve just,’ static cut the radio before it resumed, ‘Eternity is in for an infected storm here soon. These animals are slowly moving through every city and town, taking people with them. They really do seem quite like zombies. People all around are,’ static overwhelmed the speakers again and everyone waited with bated breath, ‘No! We need to move. Go, go, go! I’m sorry, listeners, but just be warned, they were last seen near Forest Christian Academy in Eternity, Oregon. Good luck!’

And with that, everyone was left with fervent panic and uncertain questions. Margaret and Jesse looked at each other as the den rose until you could barely hear what anyone was saying.

“Margaret, we need to get out of here,” Jesse shouted.

“I agree. With everyone in here, there’s no room,” Margaret looked around.

They were in the worst place possible. Everyone in the whole school was packed into that gym, all squished together. There were three exits, all of which were far away. It was a death trap, and they were about to be caught in it. So, they started wading through the tide of students, trying to find their friends. Lou and Everxst were lost in the crown somewhere, probably panicking.

All of a sudden, there was a pounding on the two entrance doors, which had been locked. At first, Jesse thought that perhaps it was a student who had been left out, but then moans joined the cacophony. Margaret looked over at her and she knew exactly what her friend was thinking. They weren’t going to make it unless they left.

“We  _ need  _ to go. Now,” Jesse pulled Margaret along as they searched the gym.

Lou and Everxst were near the back, trying to get away from the doors. Lou looked like she was about to hyperventilate, and Everxst looked like she was about to faint. Jesse grabbed them both by the shoulders and switched her eyes back and forth between them.

“We have to get out of here. If we’re gonna go, we need to go now,” Jesse stated firmly.

“But, what about-” Lou began.

“No, Lou,  _ we _ need to go now,” Margaret interrupted hastily.

The gym doors were fluxing with every fist or foot that came down on them. The four made their way to the side exit, furthest from the entrance. They were almost there when Lou stopped.

“Kaden,” she breathed sadly.

Before they could pull her back, she ran off to go find her little brother. Jesse and Margaret looked at each other while Everxst screamed after Lou.

“Darn it! I’m not leaving her,” Jesse said and ran off after her best friend with Margaret and Everxst close behind.

They ran through the crowd, pushing people out of the way. Everyone was just standing there, staring at the door. They weren’t even  _ thinking _ about moving. Jesse looked over the heads of everyone, trying to find Lou. She suddenly had a thought of Jason. Was he going to be alright? No, no, no. She didn’t have time to think about boys right now. She didn’t have time to think about people who mattered to her unless they were Lou, Margaret, and Everxst. So, they kept moving through the crowded space.

To Jesse it felt like an eternity, but it had barely been a few minutes since the pounding first started. Eventually, though, they found Lou on the opposite side of the gym, furthest from the exit. Her cheeks were laden with salty tear tracks and her eyes were rimmed red. She was looking at them with so much broken sorrow, Jesse almost started crying with her.

“Lou, he’s probably already out. We need to go,” Jesse whispered, hugging her friend.

Lou didn’t much like physical contact, but she needed it now. Kaden meant a lot more to her than she let on. They may fight a lot, but they were siblings. They were family. She let herself be pulled through the crowd by Jesse as they made their way to the other side exit. If they made it through, they would come out into the playground and have to go through the gate to get to the parking lot.

They were still moving when the doors burst open. Their top hinges were broken and they were bent beyond repair. The zombies flooded in quickly. Whoever said they were slow was very wrong. They didn’t exactly run or jog, but they weren’t walking either.

The people closest to the monstrosities seemed to realize their mistake first. They scrambled to get away, but the crowd behind them was standing stock still in shock. 

“We can’t get away if there are zombies following us!” Everxst screamed over the sudden noise.

“Margaret, do you still have that black pocket knife?” Jesse looked over her shoulder.

“Yes, of course. Why?” Margaret only looked slightly phased by the thought of imminent death.

“Follow me,” Jesse took off.

All four still had their bags and lunch bags slung over their shoulders, but it didn’t seem very important at that moment. Jesse ran towards a little room  _ right next to the entrance _ . Though the zombies were busy, there was no rule saying they couldn’t move on once they were done.

Lou stopped dead in her tracks, ignoring whatever the other three were doing as she looked on in horror at what was happening. She could do nothing but stare at the grotesque picture before her.

The zombies had gotten to the first people in the building, tearing them apart. Lou walked over to a seventh grade student she only vaguely remembered. He was wearing that blue and gray hoodie he always was, though now his eyes were glazed over. Blood dribbled out of his mouth, down the side of his face. His stomach had been torn into. His intestines were spilled out along the side of his body and his legs were splayed out in broken angles. Some of his flesh had been ripped away, revealing tender muscle, leaking blood on the floor.

Lou looked away before doubling over and vomiting. She wretched on the gym floor, not able to get that picture out of her mind. When she had nothing in her stomach, she dry heaved until she couldn’t anymore. Her throat burned and her stomach hurt, but she didn’t care. She looked around at all the other people in the building. Macabre sights were painted in blood and gore everywhere. Intestines were strewn along the floor, trailed in sticky red. Some children were clutching their stomachs as they broke out in sweat. Lou watched Samuel Johnson, one of the boys from her class, vomit as his tanned skin turned pale and clammy. His features looked suddenly gaunt, and he seemed to be trying to vomit his insides. He dry heaved while his skin seemed to be changing from clammy to  _ slimy _ . When he looked up at Lou, his face was a greenish color, and his eyes were no longer shy and kind. He looked... infected was the only word she could use. He straightened up to his full height of six foot two, ten inches taller than her. Then, he started walking towards her.

Jesse and Margaret were almost done. Margaret was connecting something to something else, Jesse wasn’t sure. She got kind of lost somewhere in the middle of Margaret explaining how to make a grenade. But, when she looked up, she saw Lou, frozen in place, staring at one of those gruesome animals. It looked strangely familiar, but Jesse couldn’t quite place it as she grabbed a slender kitchen knife with a gray wooden handle off of the nearest table. As the zombie reached out and Lou finally got the good sense to move back, Jesse watched her trip over an organ and fall into a puddle of blood and some unidentifiable substance. She heard Margaret behind her saying “it’s ready”, but she only barely registered it as she drove the knife through the skull of the zombie. Jesse held it there for a moment, watching as its deteriorating eyes fluttered. She looked at its face, and realized who it was. She had- she had just-

“Samuel,” Jesse choked out around a sob.

She just- she just  _ killed _ Samuel. She looked over at Lou, covered in gore and looked for any signs of disgust or fear in her friend's eyes. Lou just looked back at her. There was no judgment. There was no fear. She didn’t hate Jesse.

“This isn’t your fault,” Margaret came up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Thank you,” Jesse tried to say, but no sound came out.

“We need to go,” Everxst warned from Jesse’s other side.

“Do you have the lighter?” Margaret asked.

Jesse looked around at the gym. She had been going to this school for ten years. She had played basketball games in this gym. Once, she’d even practiced volleyball here. There were zombies and people and blood everywhere. Everything seemed to be happening around them, like they were in a time bubble. A few zombies had seen them, though, and were heading their way. So, Jesse handed Margaret the silver lighter that she had grabbed early. Jesse’s grip was still wrapped firmly around the long, slender knife, though it was no longer embedded in her friend’s skull. It was still covered in his blood.

“Let’s move,” Margaret pulled on Jesse’s shoulder.

“What about the other kids?” Lou asked fearfully.

“We need to go,” Everxst said.

The zombies were closing in, so they moved towards the exit. Luke and Rose were running towards it too, although Jordan was nowhere to be seen. The six of them continued moving as the smell of rot grew stronger in their noses.

“What about the kids?!” Lou screamed angrily.

“Lou, we need to go,” Jesse grabbed her hand.

“But-but we c-can’t leave them. We can’t kill them,” Lou cried.

Jesse stopped and looked back at her friend’s tear stricken face. She was three inches taller than Lou, so she bent her head a little so she could look her friend in the eyes.

“We need to go,” Jesse said firmly.

Everxst watched as they opened the door, Margaret lit the grenade, and the zombies all moved towards them. Margaret ran out the door with the others after the bomb was thrown. They ran and ran, past the playground, through the gate, into the parking lot, over to the fence.

They only stopped when they heard the explosion behind them. They turned to see the building on fire and one of the walls blown out. How that little DIY thing did it, Everxst would never know. There were still zombies coming out of the building, though they were all on fire. Hands and heads had gone flying everywhere, and the few moving bodies were shredded and burnt. 

“What will we do now?” Luke looked concerned.

His face contorted into fear as he saw a zombie come up behind Rose. He pushed her out of the way as the zombie lunged forward. It sunk its claw-like nails into Luke’s skin and dug its teeth into his arm. He screamed in agony as the zombie tore into his arm, ripping his skin off.

Margaret grabbed her pocket knife and dug it into the zombie’s eye socket, then she pushed down. It made an explicit squishing noise as Margaret tore its face open and continued to stab at it until she was sure it could no longer move.

When she looked over, Rose was kneeling by Luke’s side with her pale hands over her mouth. His skin was clammy and his eyes were beginning to glaze over. Luke said nothing, though. He just grabbed one of the glass shards from the ground and handed it to Rose. She took it gingerly and stared at it. Luke nodded to her and actually... smiled. So, Rose braced herself as tears flooded down her face and sobs racked her frame. She held the glass shard gently, like it was worth all the world. Then, she brought it up and quickly drew it across Luke’s throat. A thin line of blood appeared as Rose stared into Luke’s smiling face and grateful eyes.

“I think I loved him,” Rose whispered.

Then, she drew the shard across her own throat. Her body wavered for a moment before she fell next to Luke. Some people just weren’t meant to live, but that didn’t make it any less hard.

The four friends stared, speechless at their former classmates. Nobody knew what to say or do, so they just stood there. They just had to go. There wasn’t another option. What could they say to any of this? It was just bound to end in tears, and they didn’t have time for that right now. They didn’t have time to feel or mourn. They had to go.

“Let’s go,” Margaret said.

“Hey, wait,” Everxst called.

“What is it?” 

“Do we have to be, like, jungle children now?”

“What?”

“‘Cause I don’t have a toothbrush, and I do not want to smell that from any of you,” Everxst looked completely serious.

“No! We’re not going to be jungle children, Dorkus. There isn’t even a jungle in this state!” Margaret looked at her friend disbelievingly.

“There are lots of forests though,” Everxst reasoned.

“We need to go find a place to stay, and it might be in the forest. I have a toothbrush,” Jesse said, motioning to her black and gray lunch box which was slung over her shoulder with her computer bag.

“Okay, good,” Everxst smiled.

The four moved out the gate as the building behind them continued to burn. Everxst thought she might have seen someone going off in another direction out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned, there was nothing there. So, they all just kept walking down the road as the afternoon sun hung above them.


	2. Keep Moving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to post, but I hope you enjoy! :}
> 
> Please, mind the warnings. They will be in effect through the whole story.

Chapter 2 - Keep Moving

Lou’s eyes were damp with unshed tears as she walked down the road with her friends. Her clothes were stiff with dried blood, and she probably smelled like the dead, but she didn’t care. All she could think about was the almost peaceful, yet so pained, look in Samuel’s eyes as Jesse drove a knife through his skull. The same knife she still held in her hand as she walked at the back of the group.

Margaret was doing her very best not to care. It wasn’t like she was standing on a precipice, looking into a chasm of insanity, but she had just watched some of her classmates die. The afternoon sun beaming down on them and her soft black jacket rubbing against her arms gave her a sense of reality and kept her grounded as she led the group to her house. She had suggested it shortly after they had fled the scene of horror that their school had become. Obviously, they couldn’t stay at her house for long, but they could get some food, the truck, and maybe the van since it could be hooked to the back of the pickup. It was going to be alright. Margaret didn’t know where they were going, but they would be safe. As long as they could keep walking, they would be okay.

Everxst mumbled almost inaudibly to herself as she played the previous events over in her head. They would keep walking, to wherever they were going; she didn’t remember. It was all a little lost on her as she couldn’t help but think of her parents. Honestly, she didn’t care much about her sister - they always fought - but her parents meant a lot to her. They were family. She wanted to see Buddy, her dog, again too. Maybe they would find him. It all scared her, but she had her friends, and that was all.

Jesse walked in a haze at the back, keeping guard. Margaret held her pocket knife in front, steadily and almost numbly, which made her feel better. As Jesse walked, she tried her best to keep her emotions in check. She couldn’t afford to care, not now. She couldn’t think of Samuel, or John, or Jacob, or... or Jason. She clung to her knife like a lifeline, and in a way, it was. It was the only solid thing around her that she could focus on besides her favorite black leather jacket warming her skin and her tight black jeans hugging her legs. The knife still dripped with Samuel’s blood as they moved, making her want to cry. No, she wouldn’t let anyone she her cry, never again. She had always had a firm rule that no one could see her any lower than in a state of sadness. No crying, or whining, or anger. They would get to Margaret’s house and she could take care of Lou; that was her priority.

They walked on in silence for a couple of hours. Everyone was just thinking over everything that had happened. No one knew what to say, except for apologies. They didn’t know what they were apologizing for, but it felt right to say it. Sorry, Samuel, I had to kill you? Sorry Luke and Rose, we couldn’t save you? Sorry friends, we had to blow up the gym? Sorry, but we have to keep moving. There was no ‘let’s stop and think.’ There was no ‘we should go back for survivors.’ There was just moving. If they stopped, the zombies might catch up. Who knew how many were already in Eternity? So, they had to keep moving. They would get to Margaret’s house, and then... and then what?

As they walked through the shadows made by the setting sun, they were all exhausted. Margaret’s house was further than they originally thought, and it was almost night.

“We need to stop, we’re exhausted,” Margaret sighed eventually.

Everyone was fatigued and almost panting. Once the sun set, who knew what would happen? Everxst looked like she was about to pass out, and Lou was practically falling asleep. Margaret and Jesse’s eyes were drooping while they tried their best to keep a lookout, as they were the only ones with knives. They didn’t necessarily mean to take leadership positions among the group, but the other two were rather hesitant to do anything but think over the horrors their minds couldn’t get over. 

“Hey, guys! There’s a seven-eleven near here! Free slurpees!” Everxst perked up excitedly.

“Really?  _ That’s  _ what you’re thinking about right now?” Margaret asked incredulously, just as Lou squealed, “Yes! Free slurpees!”

“Kids these days,” Jesse shook her head with a smile.

“Can we go,  _ please _ !” Everxst begged with her hands folded.

“Well, I suppose it’s as good as any place to stay,” Jesse acquiesced.

“Yes!” Lou and Everxst squeaked in unison.

Margaret, despite her best efforts, had a smile spreading across her face. Jesse was laughing at their childish antics as they jumped up and down happily. Seven-eleven was only about ten minutes from where they were, so it would be a manageable distance.

“It’s like having kids,” Margaret muttered next to Jesse.

“Does that make us the responsible parents?” Jesse smirked right before Margaret smacked her in the stomach.

Jesse doubled over laughing while Margaret shook her head disapprovingly. Such are the ways of friendship. So, they began walking with just a little extra spring in their step. They had a destination, that was a good start. Now, all they had to do was figure out what they would do after that. 

When they got into the building, Everxst collapsed on a chair behind the register. Lou went over and grabbed two big cups and walked over to the slurpee machines. The lights were out, along with all the power, though, so none of the metal machines spat slurpee as she had been hoping.

“Seriously! Work you dumb machine,” Lou growled at the slurpee dispensers.

“Here, move over,” Jesse walked up behind her.

The taller friend looked over the machines before opening one of them up. Jesse messed with a few things and took some pieces apart just to put them somewhere else. After a few minutes, the fruit flavored dispenser gave a loud stir and made a snapping sound. Jesse closed it up and gestured for Lou to try again. When the brunette pushed on the nozzle, reddish-yellow goo came out of the machine and poured into both the cups.

“Yes! We are going to pay for these, right?” Lou asked as an afterthought.

“Why would we pay for them? It’s the zombie apocalypse, Lou, survival of the fittest,” Jesse smiled deviously.

“Whatever. Just as long as I get a slurpee,” Lou murmured.

“Hey, bring one over here!” Everxst called.

“Come get it yourself,” Lou called back.

“I’m too tired to get up,” Everxst pouted.

“. . .Fine,” Lou gave in.

Jesse walked over to Margaret smiling. They both knew their friends so well. It was do or die, and they were drinking slurpees. Margaret rolled her eyes as Everxst moaned into her slurpee. Jesse laughed and tugged on Margaret’s sleeve so they could start going through their bags. Everxst had dropped her bags in the gym, but the other three kept theirs. From the lunch boxes, they had a salad and an apple - Lou’s -, a tortilla wrap, cookie, and tangerines - Jesse’s -, and a Lunchables box - Margaret’s- altogether.

“It’s enough for a while, but we should put them all into one bag and find some more food in here,” Jesse rationalized.

“Agreed,” Margaret nodded as she began sorting through the food and putting it into Jesse’s lunch box.

Margaret and Jesse walked down the isles taking Sour Patch, Trollies, and chips off the racks. They found a knife in the drawer behind the counter. It had a sleek black handle and polished blade which extended six inches.

“One of you should carry this for safety until we find more weapons. We don’t know how long we’ll be on the move before we find somewhere safe,” Margaret held the knife out.

“I don’t want it,” Lou took a step back.

She had always been against violence and she didn’t like weapons. Jesse raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. They had known each other since first grade, and Jesse knew Lou well enough to know she would put off hurting anything for as long as she could.

“I’ll take it,” Everxst grabbed the knife to examine it, “The guy who worked here must have had anger issues.”

“I’d hate to get on his bad side,” Jesse laughed, “Maybe he carved up children who took free slurpees and fed them to his evil monster.”

Both Lou and Everxst looked down at their slurpees and then back up. They both blushed when Margaret and Jesse started laughing at them. Jesse felt around behind the counter before pulling out a black bag zipped shut. She smiled to herself as she thought how perfect it was for Lou.

“If you won’t carry a knife, then carry this,” Jesse handed the bag to her friend.

“What is it?” Lou asked as she opened it.

“A first-aid kit,” Jesse smiled, “I dub thee Doctor Lou Hunter.”

“Why thank you. I shall go forth and defend my title with honor and bandages,” Lou grinned and she zipped the bag shut and set it on the counter next to her.

Jesse, Margaret, and Lou barricaded the door with some of the empty shelves. They found the heaviest things they could so that the door couldn’t even be seen. Better safe than sorry. 

The four friends - since Everxst finally decided to help - started setting up their sleeping arrangements with some blankets they found. Everxst laid out the blankets while Lou moved some small bags that she found on the blankets to act as pillows. Jesse and Margaret set the lunch box and the three school bags up so that everyone could reach something - Everxst would carry the lunch bag - and move fast if needed.

“Someone should stay up for night watch,” Margaret suggested as they finished setting up.

“Well, since you volunteered so quickly... “ Everxst smiled sweetly.

“We can switch off,” Jesse put a hand on Margaret’s shoulder.

“Nah, I got it. Get some sleep Jes,” she smiled calmly.

“If you get tired, just wake me up,” Jesse sat down with Everxst and Lou.

“What time is it?” Everxst asked, just as she always did at school.

“Time for you to get a watch,” Jesse murmured as she looked down at her rose gold Geneva, “It’s eleven twenty-one.”

“I’m up past my bedtime,” Lou yawned sleepily.

Margaret smiled as she watched Everxst sleeping in the middle, cuddled up to Lou, who didn’t seem happy about it, even in sleep. Jesse was actually sleeping sitting up with that wooden handled knife in her hand. That girl was ridiculous. It was hard to believe that they were running from something that was previously believed to be a myth. There was no way to properly make their brains except everything that had happened; so they just didn’t. Margaret wasn’t sure where they were going after they got to her house, but they had to keep moving. Her parents’ cars were perfect for traveling and storing what they needed to store. Margaret thought sickly about her parents and brothers. They could be dead, or worse... undead. Even if they were alive, it wasn’t likely she would see them for a very long time. What if Travis and Trever, her brothers, had been blown up in the gym? That would mean that it was her who killed them. Margaret felt her stomach roll at the thought. She knew she had killed a lot of people along with the zombies, and it made her want to wretch. How could four children survive the zombie apocalypse? They were going to die, and they were going to die as murderers.

Desperately trying to think of anything else, Margaret looked around the room. She saw the two open slurpee cups sitting on the counter across from her. They smelled  _ really _ good with the tinge of sugar mixed in the flavors. She looked over at the three sleeping forms next to her as she leaned on the counter, watching the barricaded door. They would never know. As Margaret got closer to the slurpees, she almost laughed. She was sneaking over just a few steps to steal her friends left over freezy drinks like she was sneaking a cookie around her parents. Nearing the slurpees, though, the smell was really going to her head. 

She finished both of them off in only a minute, trying to be as quiet as possible and not slurp. They were called slurpees! How was she supposed to be quiet? Her friends could sleep through it, and it wasn’t her problem if they woke up.

It was somewhere around two in the morning when Margaret felt her eyelids start to droop. Her mind had been in a frenzy for hours, thinking over everything that could go wrong. She startled when a sudden bang came from the direction of the back door. All of her friends were accounted for, and all still asleep. Margaret’s first thought was that it was a zombie, but her second thought was that maybe it was a survivor. She grabbed her knife off the counter and quietly stalked over to the door. Putting her hand on the handle, she took a deep breath and readied her weapon.

“Hello?” she called quietly first.

Another bang sounded at the door and she felt the thud. Then, another thud, much louder, sounded from the other side of the door. The noises kept getting louder and more consistent as more bodies hit the door. Those weren’t a lot of survivors; those were a lot of zombies.

“Jesse!” Margaret hissed over the cacophony.

Jesse’s eyes snapped open and she was on her feet in a moment. Her blood stained knife was firmly gripped in her hand as she looked around the room.

“You look like a vindictive meerkat,” Margaret observed casually.

“Thank you,” Jesse rolled her eyes, “What’s the matter?”

“Oh, nothing much... just a bunch of rotting corpses trying to eat our brains,” Margaret shrugged as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

“I don’t think zombies actually eat brains, they kind of tear the whole body apart and eat some of the organs,” Jesse grabbed her bag and stuffed Lou’s first-aid kit in it.

“Now is not a good time to be a know-it-all, Jesse,” Margaret growled impatiently.

“I’m just saying. It truly is fascinating how-”

“Guys, shut up,” Everxst mumbled sleepily.

Jesse put both of her forefingers in her mouth and walked over to Lou and Everxst. Bending down, she pulled her fingers out of her mouth and stuck them in her friends’ ears. Both Lou and Everxst sat up abruptly and yelped.

“Jesse! You little  _ podex _ ,” Lou frowned.

“I am not a  _ podex _ , thank you very much. I am a mighty  _ lupus _ ,” Jesse said sarcastically as she pulled Everxst to her feet and shoved the lunch bag at her.

“What’s going on?” Everxst asked, surprised.

“We need to move or we’re going to be eaten. Grab your knife, Dorkus!” Margaret chided from the front door.

The four of them had their respective bags slung over their shoulders as Margaret unbarricaded the door. They really shouldn’t have put anything in front of it, but they were still new at this. It took all four of them to move everything out of the way in a timely manner. When the door was visible, Jesse climbed over the remaining objects and pried it open.

“Come on, guys, quickly,” Jesse held the door open.

When all four of them were out, they looked around the lot. There were zombies in the various stops and the cars that were left behind. Margaret vaguely wondered what had happened here to make everyone leave so quickly. There were still seven cars in the parking lot, and several plastic bags full of purchases had been scattered by the wind. It seemed as though everyone had suddenly dropped everything and ran. Her thought process was interrupted when Everxst grabbed her wrist and tugged harshly. A cluster of zombies was walking straight towards them.

“Where are we going?” Lou asked as she looked around nervously.

“We can’t lead them to Margaret’s house, we need time to gather what’s there. We shall head for the tree line. The forest might be safer, especially if we can find a tree to climb,” Jesse nodded towards the road. 

There was a line of trees that was a mile away from where they were. Margaret only knew that because her family went hunting there sometimes. There were wolves everywhere in the woods. There were a few bears as well as other large predators that were not to be tangled with.

“Jesse, you do realize that you’re crazy, right?” Everxst raised an eyebrow.

“Beside the point,” Jesse waved her hand noncommittally, “Would you rather face a bear, or a horde of zombies that used to be people just like us?”

“Point taken. Let’s get going, children,” Everxst began running.

The zombies were mostly preoccupied with invading the shops, but the few that were wandering towards them before were now attempting to run with them. As a few of them tried to catch up, Margaret heard the sickening sound of bones crunching and snapping. The zombies legs were breaking underneath them while they just kept walking.

“How is that possible?” Lou squeaked as she ran.

“Their bodies are slowly deteriorating, but so are their pain receptors. They are slowly falling apart and they can barely feel it,” Jesse yelled over to her friend.

In the dead of morning, you would think the silence would be deafening, but you would be wrong. The sound of breaking glass, clanging metal, and moaning corpses filled the air. The dark night sky hid several of the zombies as the friends ran, so they tried to stay away from objects that could hide nasty surprises. A mile seems like a long way, but when you are running for your life at a speed that would put Usain Bolt to shame, it really isn’t that far away. The zombies that had been originally chasing them were far behind them, but new zombies were picking up the mantle of trying to eat the teenagers.

“We’re almost there. Just go until you can’t hear them anymore,” Jesse rushed as she spotted the tree line.

They ran for ten more minutes after that. The trees became thicker and the noises disappeared. There were no birds in the trees to squawk at them, there were no crickets in the grass to chirp away happily, there was only silence. The leafy canopy above them gave way to the waning moon in the dark skyscape of the heavens. Quiet stars twinkled merrily, dancing on the dark floor so very far away from the chaos of the earth. Everything seemed suddenly still and at peace as the world stopped spinning for just a moment. For one peaceful moment, everything was alright. They were just four friends in the woods, ready to go back to the normalcy of life in the morning. Ready to carry out the tedious tasks of day to day chores and go back to a monotonous routine that rarely deviated from its course.

That moment came to an abrupt end when zombie claws curled viciously around Everxst’s arm. She shrieked loudly and aimed her knife. Stabbing blindly, she hit the zombie’s arm with a mushy squish while the deteriorating flesh was pierced. She kept screaming loudly as she pulled her knife out and continued stabbing.

“Everxst, look where you’re stabbing!” Margaret yelled worriedly.

“I don’t want to!” Everxst screamed harshly, “It’s squishy!”

“I believe in you!” Jesse cheered from a few feet away.

“Thanks, I really needed that!” Everxst snarked.

The sleek knife finally penetrated the zombie’s forehead. Everxst pushed down, but the knife didn’t move. When the zombie made another attempt to grab her, she kicked it in the stomach. The corpse flailed for a moment before falling back on a low hanging tree branch. The wood cut right through the undead being and impaled it swiftly. The grotesque image of the rotting beast with a knife in its head and a branch sticking out of its belly as it continued to move its limbs burned itself into Everxst’s brain. Thankfully, Margaret stepped forward and twisted the knife, ending the movements of the zombie, before pulling it out and handing it back to Everxst.

“Nice ninja moves,” Lou smiled as she tried not to vomit.

Everxst just nodded as she began to laugh. Margaret stepped up to her and hugged her, letting Everxst lean her head against Margaret’s shoulder. As the shorter teenager continued to laugh, she started letting tears slide down her face before taking several hiccuping gasps.

“Are you laughing or crying?” Margaret asked tenderly.

“I-I don’t kn-kn-know,” Everxst sobbed.

Margaret awkwardly petted her friend’s hair, trying to comfort her. She wasn’t really used to this emotional crap, but maybe she could try getting better at it, for her friends. Everxst just cried and hiccuped for several minutes while Jesse put her arm around Lou’s shoulders. Lou twitched slightly, but didn’t move away. Jesse looked over at her, and Lou just gave her friend a small smile. It was all she could manage, but it would do.

“We-we should go,” Everxst pulled back from Margaret and wiped her eyes.

“Tissue?” Jesse asked teasingly.

“Shut up,” Everxst smiled.

“Okay, folks, Little McSassafrass is back!” Jesse waved her hands in a flourish.

“I’m not that little! Just because you’re freakin’ five seven doesn’t make everyone else small!” Everxst crossed her arms indignantly.

Jesse raised a skeptical eyebrow, “You are five two, and you’re  _ fourteen _ .”

“Not my fault,” Everxst mumbled.

“You really are a giant, Jesse. I’m a year older than you, and I’m still inches shorter than you,” Lou pouted.

“I’m only a few months younger than you, and I’m three inches shorter. You're like a twenty year old thirteen year old,” Margaret complained.

“Well, maybe you guys are just short,” Jesse huffed defensively.

“Come on, giraffe, let’s go,” Margaret pulled on her friend’s red collared shirt.

“I thought I was a meerkat,” Jesse raised an eyebrow.

“You can be both,” Margaret reasoned.

“What the heck are you talking about?” Lou inquired.

“Nothing!” Margaret and Jesse tittered teasingly.

The four friends walked off to find an appropriate tree to sleep in. The morning would come, the zombies would diminish, and they could head off to Margaret’s house. They had successfully survived the first twelve hours of the zombie apocalypse.

-S. Hanson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment if you liked it, please! Hope you enjoyed! :}


	3. The Second Battlefield

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of blood. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 3 - The Second Battlefield

Lou woke up with a yawn. She leaned back, expecting to feel the familiar soft comfort of her pillow. Instead, she almost fell out of a tree. After letting out a surprised gasp, she righted herself and looked around. It wasn’t a dream. Darn it! You could hope and pray, but you’d be damned if you ever got what you wanted. Such is life, though, right? She hissed in disgust when she felt her stiff clothes. They were still covered in sticky, odorous, blood. Just yuck. The leafy canopy above her looked almost serene in the sleek darkness of the morning. It was only a few hours ago that her and her friends had climbed this tree to escape the dangers of the world below. It was a cold November morning - the eleventh if she remembered correctly - and they were stuck in a tree. Well, not stuck exactly, but if they went back down, who knew what they would find? Lou looked over at the branch next to her to see Jesse staring at something in the distance. Lou tried to see what her friend was seeing, but she didn’t find anything.

“Do you see a zombie?” Lou asked nervously.

“What?” Jesse turned as if just realizing she wasn’t the only one awake, “Oh, no. I was just. . . thinking.”

“The less of that the better,” Lou mumbled.

Jesse chuckled, “You catch on fast.”

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment as they just sat there, enjoying the peace while it lasted. No one knew what would happen, but they had to do something; they had to  _ go _ somewhere.

“Do you think he’s okay?” Lou whispered desperately.

“Yes,” Jesse said immediately, knowing who she was thinking of, “Kaden is tough. He’ll be fine. I don’t know where we’re going, but when - not if, when - we find him, he shall come too.”

“Thank you. I don’t believe you, but thank you,” Lou sighed.

“I’ll just have to believe enough for both of us,” Jesse’s lips curled up in a half-smile.

Margaret opened her eyes sharply when she heard a twig snap. It had been like that for the few hours that they had been stuck up in that stupid tree. A cricket chirped, a stray bird tweeted,  _ a leaf broke off of a branch _ . It was crazy! How could a leaf wake her up? She was high strung and ready to hit something really, really hard. Jesse would make a superb punching bag. She smiled to herself at the thought. That girl had spent ten minutes talking Margaret into sleeping; worst idea ever. Thoughts of her brothers and parents plagued her for the few hours she slept, and it was horrible. She didn’t need, or want, that right now. She couldn’t think about something that could so easily break her. All it took was one hit to the right place, and then even the strongest fell. Broken bodies didn’t bother her, shattered spirits did. Those who died would be remembered; those who just couldn’t last would crumble. She could die thousands of deaths, but she wouldn’t let herself break down. It just wasn’t an option.

“Last person up gets pushed out of the tree,” Jesse said evenly into Everxst’s ear.

“Ah!” Everxst woke with a yelp as she curled into the tree.

Lou laughed as Everxst hit Jesse on the shoulder.

“We should move,” Margaret suggested solemnly.

“Where are we moving to?” Everxst stretched, her pink and white T-shirt riding up a little.

“I was thinking my house. We can get the cars, some food, and maybe a few weapons,” Margaret nodded to herself as she thought of what to grab.

“Sounds like a plan,” Jesse smiled as she slung her bag over her shoulder and got ready to climb down. 

Just as she got her foot off the branch, she stopped and looked up worriedly. She bit her bottom lip in contemplation and seemed to be having an inner debate with herself.

“What’s wrong, Jes?” Everxst asked offhandedly.

“I-I know school’s out, but- but should I still do my math homework? I don’t want to fall behind on my Algebra,” Jesse looked at her friends.

“Only you,” Margaret looked back at her in disbelief.

“I can’t believe  _ that’s _ what you’re thinking about,” Lou shook her head.

“Your stupid highschool math can wait, Jesse,” Everxst frowned, “I can’t believe we could die, and you’re still nerding out.”

“Born a nerd, die a nerd, get reanimated a nerd, right?” Jesse smiled and proceeded to climb down the tree before Margaret could properly smack her.

The other three followed her down, Everxst going last with the lunch bag. They all gathered at the base of the tree to assess their situation.

“I say we throw the stuff we don’t need from our bags away,” Lou voted.

“Okay, sounds good,” Jesse nodded and looked through her bag.

She hesitated on her math book, but threw it on the ground anyways, along with her spelling book, grammar book, and history book - which she was actually happy about. She kept her binder, extra papers, archery equipment, and pencil box. She saw all of Margaret and Lou’s books in a pile near hers, with some loose papers on top.

“Can we burn our school books, please?” Everxst folded her hands and smiled cutely.

“Hey! A little more respect for school, little miss,” Jesse scowled.

“Not going to happen,” Everxst leaned towards Margaret for an answer, and maybe a lighter.

“. . .Fine,” Margaret acquiesced.

“Do you two notice how much you say that to her?” Jesse looked at Margaret in disbelief as Everxst was handed the silver lighter from the gym.

“Don’t tell them, then they’ll stop giving me stuff!” Everxst complained as she tried to light the lighter, “A little help?”

Margaret lit it for her, and then Everxst lit the school books on fire. She jumped up and down, clapping her hands - which Jesse thought was overkill - as the books slowly withered and turned to ash.

“Hey, Jes, can you explain something to me?” Lou suddenly looked over at her friend questioningly.

“Yah, shoot,” Jesse nodded.

“Why do the zombies look like. . . that?” Lou cocked her head to the side.

“Deterioration. That’s why they don’t have eyes. The soft muscle deteriorates much faster than the rest of the body. Their skin deteriorates at a slower pace since the cells are constantly being replaced, and the bones deteriorate even slower. There won’t be as many zombies out during the day because the ultra-violet rays from the sun can easily damage their sensitive skin, though most of their pain receptors have already been destroyed. Their senses of smell and hearing will be dulled because of the other sensations; so if we do anything, it should be during the day. And their sense of touch will be completely eliminated due to the deterioration of their bodies. All it takes is a crushed or pierced skull to kill most of them, though some shall need to be. . . more thoroughly disassembled,” Jesse moved her hands in rapid flourishes as she spoke calmly, “It truly is quite fascinating.”

“Dang. And how do you know all of that?” Everxst stared at her friend.

“Science,” Jesse smiled.

Lou raised an inquisitive eyebrow, but she didn’t say anything. She just shook her head and thought  _ ‘nerd’ _ with a smile. She would never understand Jesse, but they would always be good friends. They would be there for each other through this whole thing. No matter what it came down to, they would stay together.

“We should get moving,” Margaret said as she looked up at the brightening sky. 

They still couldn’t see the sun through the thick forest, but they knew they had to move. If they got to Margaret’s house, they could just stay the night there. So, they began walking in the still silence, only broken by twigs snapping under their feet, unknown animals stalking through bushes, and Everxst’s stomach growling. Lou felt nervous as she looked around at all the darkened spaces on the forest floor. She knew there were wolves in this forest; how could they fight a pack of wolves off? Jesse was behind her with that blood crusted knife, and Everxst and Margaret were walking side-by-side in front of her with their knives held out. They were just four teenagers who were trying to survive through something far bigger than themselves. How could they pull through something that an entire world couldn’t defend against? She could hope, but she knew very well that there was no one coming. It was just them, and them only.

“You look deep in though, Lou. Are you okay?” Jesse asked from behind her.

“Hmm?” Lou turned slightly, but kept walking, “I-I just don’t know. I mean, what are we even doing? We can’t beat this, why are we trying?”

“We’re trying because we might make it,” Jesse frowned thoughtfully.

“No, we don’t have a chance. We don’t have a destination. At this point, hope is overrated and pointless,” Lou growled in frustration.

Jesse stopped walking and grabbed her friend by the shoulders. Lou squeaked in surprise when she was spun around to face the girl now in front of her. Jesse looked about five seconds away from giving her a good slap, which wasn’t exactly unusual.

“Listen, and don’t talk,” Jesse commanded firmly, “I don’t care if you are resigning yourself to defeat. I don’t care if you are wishing doom upon us. I don’t care if you don’t believe we can do this. And I certainly don’t give a flap if you think we’re going to die. I’m going to get through this, and if I have to drag you along moaning and pouting behind me, then so be it. We’re going to find Kaden, and then we’re going to find somewhere no one can get to us.”

“You can’t know that,” Lou whispered.

“No, I can’t, but I can believe it,” Jesse stated calmly.

“Well, I don’t,” Lou looked down angrily.

“There seem to be a lot of things you don’t believe. I’ll just add that one to my list,” Jesse smirked, turned Lou around, and pushed her forward.

They ran to catch up with the other two, who apparently had been deep in conversation. The four friends were making quick work of the trip through the forest, but they still had at least another hour before they could completely cut through to Margaret’s house.

  
  


“So. . . do you think we’re going to live?” Everxst asked nonchalantly.

“That’s random,” Margaret raised an eyebrow.

“Not really. We could die at any moment,” Everxst shrugged indifferently.

Margaret just stared at her. The first day she met these people was her first day of school in seventh grade. She had walked in to see Jordan trying to bite Lou while Jesse was holding her back and laughing hysterically. Everxst had been smiling sadistically while Lou looked genuinely terrified for her life. Zoe, the only person Margaret had known, was just standing near the group and shaking her head. Angel, Luke, and Rose had been standing off to the side like everything was completely normal. She had almost gone to sit with the other new kids, but Jesse had waved her over while still holding Jordan in place. Jesse had warned her how weird the class was, and then Margaret had been stuck with them for a year. After so little time, she was tromping through the forest, running from zombies with them. Maybe they would find Jordan miraculously alive and everything would be complete.

“I suppose that’s accurate,” Margaret hesitated a moment, “Do you want my straight opinion, or a more comforting version?"

“Umm. . . comforting version?” Everxst cocked her head to the side.

“It’s very unlikely that we will live, but there is a very,  _ very _ slim chance of survival,” Margaret deadpanned.

“That was the comforting version?” Everxst squinted her eyes skeptically.

“Trust me, it’s much better than my other answer,” Margaret gave her a small smile. 

“I believe that,” Everxst sighed with a playful smile.

“We can make it. I won’t lie, it will be hard, but we can make it,” Margaret said quietly.

“But then what? The world in flames? Forever in hiding? Do we really want to live in a world where there is no control? Everyone complains about the power, but it’s better when someone has it, even if you don’t like them,” Everxst pursed her lips in thought.

Margaret looked over at her friend in surprise, “Dang, girl. I think that was the most intelligent thing you’ve ever said. That was very profound.”

“ _ Oh, thank you _ . I’m  _ so _ flattered,” Everxst pouted sarcastically.

“Guys! Wait up!” Jesse called from somewhere behind them.

Everxst and Margaret both stopped and turned around. Jesse and Lou were jogging to catch up. Lou had a worried look on her face and kept glancing at the surrounding trees. Taking a second look, Margaret realised that there was white powder dusting all the leaves of the trees. It was snowing silently; but she doubted that was what Lou was worried about.

“Where were you?” Everxst frowned.

“We just. . . had a talk,” Lou shrugged and bit the inside of her cheek.

“Hey, what’s up? You only bite your cheek when you’re nervous,” Margaret tilted her chin up at Lou.

“N-nothing. I’m just- it’s just that I’m worried about what’s been following us. Now that we’re in an open place-” Lou started quietly, Jesse coughed, “Clearing,” then Lou continued, “Yes, that. Now that we’re here, I think it’s going to catch up to us.”

“There’s been something following us?” Everxst asked confusedly.

“Yes, I thought you knew,” Lou brought the corner of her mouth up in a lopsided look.

“If I knew, I would have killed it,” Margaret scowled and moved her knife to her right hand instinctively.

“Lou, get in the middle of the field,” Jesse said quickly.

“What?” Lou looked over at her.

“Lou, Everxst, middle of the field. Now!” Jesse suddenly turned around and pushed them.

Lou and Everxst ran towards the center of the clearing with haste, still confused. Margaret looked over at her friend, and Jesse just raised her knife and nodded towards the forest. Margaret dropped her bag and readied her knife, looking to the trees. Everyone stood completely still, not even a breath escaped into the cool morning air. The sky was still a deep blue, dropping little flecks of white paint on its canvas below. The silence was the most deafening sound ever, until a low, guttural growl pierced the still air. Jesse and Margaret exchanged calm glances and looked back at the other two. Everxst was holding her knife somewhat clumsily while Lou held the lunch bag and her school bag.

“They are wolves,” Jesse mouthed slowly to Margaret.

“I know, Dorkus,” Margaret mouthed back.

Jesse just cocked her head in confusion. That girl couldn’t read lips for anything. That was the least of her concerns, though, when a ball of fur burst out of the shadowy cover of trees. Margaret held her knife up in front of her as the wolf descended on her. She vaguely heard a scream and some muffled words, but decided that the vicious fangs trying to tear her throat open were a more immediate problem. Jesse was struggling with the claws of another wolf off to her side, so it was just her. The brown furred beast snapped its teeth at her as its claws dug into her arm. She was on her back with her arm held out in front of her. The knife was - naturally - in the hand that was trapped under her body.

“Ah. Darn you, you stupid brute!” Jesse screamed as she tackled the wolf assaulting her and buried her knife in its throat.

Jesse stood back up and wobbled slightly as blood dripped from her elbows to her fingers. She looked around, momentarily disoriented, and didn’t seem to notice the two other wolves behind her. Margaret was struggling to move her arm as blood began to soak her coat sleeve. She had begun kicking at the wolf, but that wasn’t helping much.

“Jesse, behind you!” Lou yelled from across the field.

Margaret watched Jesse turn, but couldn’t see anything after that. She instead became distracted with the fur in her face. She rolled slightly, temporarily exposing her side, and finally got her arm out from underneath her. She brought it up and thrust it up under the wolf’s gaping maw. It whimpered, stumbled back, and then collapsed in a heap on the blood soaked grass. Looking around, she saw seven wolves total, including the dead ones. Two down, five to go. Lovely.

  
  


Everxst watched worriedly as Jesse and Margaret talked quietly. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but something was wrong. She handed her bag over to Lou as she readied her knife. Lou definitely wasn’t a fighter, and Everxst was the one with a knife. Suddenly, a wolf - a _ wolf _ \- pounced on Margaret while another one began circling Jesse. Margaret’s hand was trapped under her body as the wolf clawed at her hungrily. She was about to go help Margaret when Lou quietly shook her arm.

“E-Everxst, help,” Lou squeaked.

Everxst turned around and screamed shrilly. There were two wolves that had been trying to sneak up behind them, growling quietly as their breaths came out in puffy mists.

“What the hell?” Everxst shrieked.

“Hey, don’t say that!” Lou widened her eyes.

Everxst leveled her with a sassy glare and readied her knife. The wolves were fast approaching now that they had been spotted. What was she supposed to do? She turned around to see Jesse and Margaret struggling with their own furry monsters. Just her.

“Lou, don’t let Margaret choose my epitaph,” she sighed.

Everxst ran forward with determination. Then, she chickened out when the wolf growled. Reflecting back on it, it probably wasn’t a good idea to start running  _ away _ from it, because that just encouraged it to chase her while the other one watched on in quiet amusement.

Lou watched Everxst running away from the wolf, and actually almost laughed. She wanted to help, she really did, but she couldn’t kill anything. She would just carry the bags. She turned around to see Jesse screaming something incoherent and tackling a wolf. Jesse  _ tackled the wolf _ . That girl was just insane. She killed it, though, so something in her head probably worked right. Then, she saw two more wolves creeping up behind Jesse.

“Jesse, behind you!” Lou warned as loudly as she could.

She heard a growl from behind her just as Jesse turned, though, and didn’t get to see what happened next. The wolf that Everxst wasn’t currently stabbing to death - when did that happen? - was standing behind her, ready to pounce. She whimpered and shrank back slightly. The wolf hissed out something that sounded uncomfortably like a laugh, and then advanced.

  
  


Everxst made a firm decision. It was going to happen. She turned around and brought her knife up brazenly. The wolf growled and leapt up into the air. She moved out of the way and let the wolf land gracefully on the grass. Then, when the wolf turned its head, she ran forward with her knife held out. The wolf bit at her arm, but she swerved out of the way to drive her blade through the animal’s hide. It yowled, but just bit harder at her. She cried out when its teeth grazed her arm sharply, but kept a firm hold on her knife. She pulled it out and thrust it in again in a different spot. She repeated the motion over and over, until she was the one on top of the wolf. She just kept stabbing until she was sure it was dead. Everxst looked down sullenly at her blood stained arms and clothes. Those were her favorite tights.

  
  


Jess panted heavily as she fended off the wolves. She respected the animals, they were beautiful and strong, but it was kill or be killed. She didn’t particularly like killing in general, but now was a good time to be insensitive. Her knee-high boots were splattered with blood, and her arms were bathed in it. She tasted it all over her tongue, and it tasted horrible. Not all of the blood on her arms was the wolf’s, though. She could feel her wounds burning in the chilling air as the sky lightened slowly. The wolves simultaneously moved forward, charging her in tandem. She dove into the grass to escape the skin tearing claws of the pouncing beasts. They snarled viciously and stalked towards her. She switched her knife to her left hand, though she was right-handed, because her other arm was all scratched up with claw marks. She ran towards the first wolf and took a swipe at it, but it backed up swiftly. She hissed in frustration and surged forward, smoothly sliding the knife across the wolf’s face. It growled and leapt at her. Just before it could sink its teeth into her flesh, she brought her knife upwards and dug it into the wolf’s throat. It fell motionlessly to the ground with her knife still buried where she had stuck it. Jesse had completely forgotten about the other wolf, which jumped onto her back, knocking her to the ground. It raked its claws down her back, making her scream in pain. She felt her flesh rip as blood gushed over her sides and onto the grass. The edges of her vision blurred and her arms went limp as she fought to stay conscious. She turned her head and caught a glimpse of movement off to the side, near Lou and Everxst. She growled, but couldn’t form any words. There was weight on her back, and then she felt cool air hit her open wounds. She heard a growl and a snapping sound before she felt smooth hands on her skin, helping her sit up. She became dizzy as she moved, but she stayed awake.

“Jesse, Jesse! You need to help Lou!” Margaret shook her harshly.

“W-what?” Jesse spit out some of the blood in her mouth.

“You’re an archer, you can aim, right?” Margaret grabbed Jesse’s shoulders and squeezed.

“Y-yah, I c-can aim pretty well,” Jesse stammered.

“Throw the knife,” Margaret eased her pocket knife into Jesse’s hand.

Margaret pulled Jesse to her feet and held her up as she adjusted the knife in her hand. Jesse squinted to make out the form of Lou moving back, away from an advancing wolf. Jesse took a deep breath and closed her eyes while bringing her arm up. Then, she drew back, aimed, and chucked the knife as hard as she could. It sailed through the air and landed in the wolf’s side, causing it to howl in pain as it collapsed, still alive. Everxst stumbled over to the body and brought her knife down into the wolf’s head, drawing both Margaret’s and her own knives out of the wolf’s corpse.

“We- we got it,” Jesse smiled lazily.

“Wait, there are only six bodies,” Lou furrowed her brows as her and Everxst walked over to the other two. 

“Weren’t there seven?” Margaret asked as she supported Jesse’s tired body.

“Yah, I think-” Everxst began.

She was cut off when that seventh wolf came from behind them, grabbing onto Margaret’s left leg and biting down. She yelped in surprise and pain as the wolf pulled her back and sank its teeth once more into her leg. Everxst launched forward and dug both the knives she held into the wolf’s skin. The wolf howled and fell to the grass as Margaret’s eyelashes fluttered.

“Mare, don’t die!” Everxst yelled at Margaret.

“I-I’m not going to die, dummy. I m-might black out, though,” Margaret breathed.

“I’m not carrying you,” Everxst deadpanned.

“No, that’s what Jes is for,” Margaret smirked.

“Hmm?” Jesse’s head snapped up, “If you say so.”

“I need to staunch the bleeding,” Lou reached for Jesse’s fallen bag and pulled her first-aid kit out.

She helped Margaret out of her jacket and told Everxst to apply pressure to Margaret’s leg. Jesse fell to the ground next to them, tore and bleeding and exhausted. Lou cleaned Margaret’s wound out with something - Jesse didn’t know what - that made Margaret hiss quietly.

“I’m here for emotional support,” Jesse smirked at Margaret.

“Pff, whatever,” Margaret rolled her eyes.

Lou wrapped Margaret’s wound in gauze and used the medical tape to hold it in place. Margaret’s eyelashes fluttered once more, but this time she really did fall unconscious. Jesse sighed and slung Margaret over her shoulder. She whimpered silently in pain when she felt the pressure on her wounds, but she ignored it.

“Let’s go,” Jesse slurred.

“Now?” Everxst looked at her incredulously.

“No, next week. Of course now,” Jesse began walking almost drunkenly, “Hurry up children, we have somewhere to be!”

Everxst and Lou exchanged disbelieving glances before following reluctantly. The field was littered with blood and corpses, and Margaret’s backpack. Only the second of many battlefields, Jesse was sure.

-S. Hanson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments if you enjoyed it!


	4. She Knew

Chapter 4 - She Knew

“I see the road!” Lou pointed happily to a stretch of concrete.

“Finally!” Everxst grinned from ear to ear.

“What are you two complaining about? You haven’t had to carry McMuffin the Bull for the last few miles,” Jesse said from in front of them.

“She can’t be  _ that _ heavy, Jes,” Everxst smirked as she poked Jesse, gesturing for her to keep walking.

“She is. And I’ve lost a lot of blood, I need to rest soon, or I shall pass out,” Jesse sighed and readjusted Margaret on her shoulder.

“We should be almost there,” Lou looked around Everxst.

“Yah, it’s just a few roads over,” Everxst smiled in relief.

Jesse just sighed as she began walking again. Her back was still torn, though the wounds had started to clot. Lou had taken a look at them a while ago and said that she would need to wrap them once they found a safe place to stay. Jesse was worried about all the blood she had been leaving on the forest floor, but she didn’t have to worry about anything following the trail, now that they were almost out of the forest. Thankfully, they hadn’t run into any other creatures. Margaret had woken up briefly, but she didn’t have any strength, so she had just fallen asleep. Jesse felt guilty for complaining when she knew Margaret had lost a lot more blood than she had. Margaret would have carried her, too. In her mind, she was only returning a favor that hadn’t yet come to fruition. Everyone would be hurt on this trip to nowhere, it was just about timing.

They broke through the forest line and were immediately engulfed in the afternoon sunlight. Lou sighed as it slowly warmed her skin. It had stopped snowing about an hour ago, but it was still cold. There were little piles of white everywhere, and the sun wasn’t melting it. November wasn’t a good month to be outside day and night, and if they made it to December, things would be far worse. They weren’t only battling zombies and animals, the elements could take them out just as easily. The world was against them, and they didn’t have a solid plan.

“Almost there, guys,” Everxst smiled as she breathed in the crisp air and kept walking.

“Yah, almost there,” Lou repeated quietly, following close behind her friends.

If she could be nothing else, she would be their doctor. She could do everything in her power to help them survive, and then maybe she could find Kaden. Her little brother meant so much to her, and she knew Jesse saw him as a little brother, too. Lou also knew that she and Jesse would do  _ anything _ to get him back. They wouldn’t give up, even if Lou believed it was a hopeless war. Give her a hard battle, and she would just fight harder. Lou was stubborn like that.

It took only a few more minutes to get to Margaret’s house, and maybe that was a good thing. The door was swinging back and forth on its hinges, and there were muddy footprints as well as small drops of blood leading from the door to the street. The two cars were still parked in the driveway, untouched, but looking inside the house, everything was ransacked. There were about four other houses on the street that looked the same. 

“Zombies?” Lou asked fearfully.

“No. Those were normal people. They were getting supplies from the houses,” Jesse set Margaret on the ground gently as she talked.

“So everything’s gone,” Everxst concluded angrily.

“They left the cars, and there might still be food inside,” Jesse pursed her lips.

“At least that’s something,” Lou muttered.

Jesse shook Margaret gingerly, trying to wake her. Margaret stirred and her eyes sleepily fluttered open. She tried to sit up, but Jesse carefully pushed her back to the ground and motioned to the house. Margaret turned her eyes to the wreckage of her home. She huffed indignantly and looked sharply back at Jesse.

“There was someone else here, wasn’t there?” Margaret asked angrily.

“Several someones as it appears. Where are the keys to the truck and van?” Jesse asked quietly.

“There’s an extra set of keys in the laundry room. There should be some canned food in the chest in my parents’ room, the first one on the left,” Margaret breathed through clenched teeth.

“At least there aren’t bodies,” Jesse put her hand on her friend’s shoulder.

“That we can see,” Margaret growled slowly.

“Lou is going to stay here with you and change your bandages, okay?” Jesse sighed.

When Margaret didn’t respond, Jesse nodded to Everxst and the two went in. The house had been completely destroyed in someone’s attempt to find things. The furniture was overturned and all of the cabinets had been ripped off the walls. There was stuffing, water, mud, wood, and shoes strewn everywhere. Everxst scrunched her nose at all the dirty water, but she didn’t say anything.

“You get the keys and anything you think shall be useful, I’ll go upstairs,” Jesse said firmly.

“Okay,” Everxst nodded and started looking into the different rooms, trying to find the laundry room.

Though Jesse was concerned about splitting up, she knew they had to move fast. They evidently weren’t the only people moving west, and that was dangerous. So, with caution, Jesse moved up the stairs. She stood sideways, with her left arm in front of her and her knife in her right hand. She inched up the wooden planks carefully, not making any noise. Having perfected the art of sneaking up on her friends, it wasn’t hard to be quiet; she was just worried about what she would find when she got to the top.

Pushing the first door to the left open, she looked around the room carefully. Nothing moved, nothing made a noise. Quickly, Jesse dropped to her knees in front of the large chest at the end of the king-sized bed. It was the only untouched thing in the room. . . because there was a giant lock on it. Clothes that must have been from the closet were scattered across the floor, as were different things that could have been from the bathroom. Taking her pencil box out of her bag, Jesse removed two pencils and a pen, along with her flashlight. Putting the flashlight between her teeth, Jesse got to work on picking the lock. She pulled a paper clip out of the inside pocket of her torn jacket, because  _ dang _ it was a big lock.

Finally, after a lot of struggling - and maybe some expletives that Jesse would disavow - she got it to open. There were two black backpacks, three foldable tents, several cans of food, a kerosene lamp, a box of matches, and a holstered gun. Checking the gun, Jesse discovered that it was loaded and ready to be fired; Margaret would be happy - or as close to happy as that little stone wall could get, perhaps a devious smirk and a thank you. Jesse took both of the packs and put the food, one tent, and matches in one, then put the lamp in the other one. She clipped the holster with the gun in it to her belt. Jesse emptied her computer bag, sadly throwing it aside when it had nothing in it. She reloaded her pencil box and put it in the bag with the lamp, along with her binder - after she stuffed her papers in it- archery glove, and arm guard. She slung her quiver over her shoulder and settled the strap against her neck so it was tilted to the right. Once she got some arrows and a bow, she would be unstoppable. She put the pack with her things in it over her left shoulder and grabbed the other bag. Going through the bathroom, she stuffed a bottle of shampoo, two packs of period pads, a covered bar of soap, toothpaste, three wrapped toothbrushes - because that was all that was there - a towel, and a roll of toilet paper in the pack in her hand. Lou could carry that one.

Jesse grabbed the large black shirt she saw in the closet, the only piece of clothing not torn. Then, she exited the room, pausing right outside the door. She heard a thud, and then another thud. Creeping closer to a room at the end of the hall, Jesse knocked very, very lightly on the door.

“Hello?” came a small whisper, “Is-is someone there?”

“Yes, who are you?” Jesse murmured, just outside the closed door.

“I-It’s Travis.”

“Mare’s younger brother?”

“Y-Yes.”

“It’s Jesse. Margaret’s friend.”

“Please help.” 

Jesse pushed the door open to see a ransacked room. The bed was broken, and at second glance, Travis was stuck under it. His face was covered in blood, his dark hair matted with it. Jesse ran over and knelt next to it, lifting the bed frame to allow him to crawl out from under it. He spit some blood out of his mouth, wiping his tongue on his sleeve in disgust.

“Is that your blood?” Jesse asked quietly.

“No. The zombie ka-plewed on me,” Travis frowned at his feet.

Jesse’s eyes widened momentarily. They didn’t know how the virus was transmitted. What if- what if. . .? She’s already lost people she knew, people she was close to; she couldn’t lose her best friend’s brother, too. Kaden, he was her brother, even if it wasn’t by blood, but Travis meant a lot to her as well.

“Are you okay? What happened?” Jesse picked him up and sat him on the bed mattress.

“Big bang, and then lots of people,” Travis furrowed his eyebrows.

“A bang? Like an explosion?” Jesse sat down next to him.

“Yup, grenades,” he nodded.

“How do you know?” she cocked her head to the side.

Travis got up and walked over to his open closet. Bending down, he picked up five small, round objects and brought them back over to Jesse. He dumped them on her lap and then hopped back onto the bed. She rolled them around in her palm; definitely grenades. Someone must have dropped them while raiding the house.

“You want to see your sister?” Jesse asked.

“She’s here?” Travis looked hopeful.

“Yah, we’re traveling together,” Jesse confirmed.

“Yay!” Travis jumped up off the bed.

“Who’s that Jesse?!” she heard a scream from downstairs.

“The mouse I keep in my pocket!” Jesse yelled back.

Leading Travis back down the stairs, Jesse smiled at Everxst’s surprised expression. Smirking, Jesse grabbed the keys from her friend and walked out the door. She found Lou and Margaret waiting for them by the truck, talking about something or other.

“I’ve got a surprise for you,” Jesse smiled at Margaret.

“It isn’t a hug, is it?” Margaret groaned, inching away.

“That hurts, but no,” Jesse stuck her tongue out.

Travis chose the perfect moment to bolt out of the house, Everxst in tow. He ran straight to Margaret and jumped onto her lap, wrapping his small arms around her. She groaned in pain, but hugged him back. He smiled and snuggled closer as she buried her nose in his short hair.

“Oh, so you’ll accept a hug from him?” Jesse frowned.

“I like him more,” Margaret smirked, not removing her head from his.

“Where’s your brother?” Margaret asked quietly.

“He was in the backyard,” Travis muttered.

“Okay,” Margaret sighed, reveling in the moment.

Suddenly, Travis shot back from her, holding his stomach. His face paled and he collapsed, still clutching his belly. Margaret moved as fast as she could to sit beside him. He moaned in agony, almost like he had an extremely painful stomach ache. His body was shaking, and his eyes were rapidly glazing over. 

“Little brother? What’s happening?” Margaret asked, though she knew.

She looked behind her to see Jesse nodding her head and biting her lip. She knew. Jesse  _ knew _ . Jesse had known when she found him. What the hell?! Her little brother, he was- he was turning green! His skin was slick with sweat in a matter of moments as his body tried in vain to fight off the virus. His breathing was heavy, and it was coming in shorter and shorter gasps.

“Mmm,” Travis groaned.

“Don’t, please don’t,” Margaret whispered desperately as tears rolled down her cheeks.

She didn’t care who heard. She was praying. Praying to God, praying to her brother, praying to anyone that would listen. Life was life, bad was bad, wrong was wrong; she knew all that. This broke all of that, this was beyond nature, beyond normalcy, beyond everything. This couldn’t be it. Infected couldn’t be infected.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, “We need to go before-”

“No! Don’t you dare! DON’T YOU DARE, JESSE!” Margaret whipped her head around and screamed, “YOU KNEW!”

“I-I did,” Jesse whispered.

“You knew. . .” Margaret repeated brokenly.

She watched in tears as her little brother’s body began to shut down. Jesse watched her watch him. She hadn’t told her friend, and Jesse knew that. She also knew Trever was in the backyard. Jesse laid the grenades next to Margaret quietly before walking to the yard gate. She unlatched it and pushed it open. . .

Lou watched her friend. Margaret never broke down. It was just a rule. Jesse and Margaret never cried, never got angry, never really showed much emotion at all. They made jokes, they got frustrated, but they never broke form. That whole vision had been blown to bits in the last day, and now it crumbled further.

“Back the truck out,” Margaret ordered Lou, tossing the keys Jesse had set down.

Lou didn’t say anything, just did as she was told. She backed the truck out onto the street, and then the van. As she and Everxst hooked the van to the truck, they watched Margaret. She was just. . . there. She was just existing, just hanging on by a thread.

“We should go,” Jesse came up behind Lou quietly.

“Where were you!” Lou whispered angrily, “Were you just. . . wandering around?!”

“I was in the backyard,” Jesse defended with a snarl.

Lou ignored her and walked toward Margaret. Jesse had known. She had  _ known _ that Travis was infected. Margaret was on the driveway falling apart, and Jesse had  _ known _ . And Jesse hadn't told any of them, not even Travis. 

“We have to leave,” Lou whispered sadly.

“I-I know,” Margaret sighed.

“I’ll be waiting by the truck,” Lou moved to walk away.

“Wait! I-I need your help,” Margaret whispered.

Lou didn’t know if she needed help to walk or to cope, but she would be there either way. She watched as Margaret pulled her knife from her belt, and then sheathed it again. She seemed to have an inner struggle before handing four of the grenades to Lou. The one she kept, she unpinned, and then she put it between Travis’s lips.

“W-What?” Lou stuttered, shocked.

“Let’s go. I-I don’t want to watch,” Margaret closed her eyes and let Lou help her up.

Margaret didn’t say a word as Lou supported her back to the van and helped her into the back. Lou set her friend down next to the backpacks Jesse had placed there. She hit the side of the truck and climbed in, closing the doors. Jesse revved the engine as the explosion went off. A broke sob sounded from Margaret as Jesse started driving. This just, it couldn’t have happened.

“Maybe we’ll find Trever,” Everxst said calmly from the passenger seat of the truck.

“. . .Yah, maybe,” Jesse whispered as she steered them off of Grey Wood Drive.

And as long as she lived, Jesse would never tell anyone about the missing bullet in the gun still strapped to her belt. Or about the dark haired, green corpse lying in Margaret’s backyard. Jesse prayed to God they would never find Trever. Jesse knew just a little too much.

-S. Hanson


	5. Ties That Bind, Bullets That Tear

Chapter 5 - Ties That Bind, Bullets That Tear

Everxst opened her eyes slowly, sighing quietly at the sudden light assaulting her eyes. It looked to be almost sunset, which meant she had slept for a few hours. The car was still moving, and looking over, Everxst saw that Jesse was still driving. She gave herself a small smile as she watched Jesse. The four of them were only on their second night of surviving alone, and they were already tearing each other apart. Perhaps it shouldn’t have been funny, but Everxst found it absurd that the two ‘leaders’ were practically killing each other. Jesse looked like crap. She had worry lines on her forehead and she looked about half way to breaking out in a cold sweat.

“I don’t blame you, you know,” Jesse blinked quickly at Everxst’s sudden voice.

Jesse seemed surprised, and maybe a little relieved, “Thank you.”

“But they’re not going to let it go for a long time. I mean, they’re, like, explosively angry at you. I’m pretty sure they hate you,” Everxst nodded casually.

“ _ Thank you _ ,” Jesse gritted her teeth as her hands tightened around the steering wheel.

“Oh yah, any time,” Everxst smiled happily.

Jesse was the one in hot water, not her. Everxst, as far as she was concerned, was free to go back and forth between the two sides and never be caught in the middle. She could see it now: Margaret pulling out her knife, charging Jesse as Lou crossed her arms, but didn’t stop anyone. Her, Everxst, cackling merrily from the sidelines as Margaret took her knife and-

“We shall need to stop soon. We’re running low on gas,” Jesse interrupted her train of thought.

“Why are you telling me this?” Everxst asked, annoyed since she was getting to the best part of her fantasy.

“Because. . . I thought you might want to know?” Jesse said hesitantly.

Everxst just shook her head. Why didn’t these people get it? She didn’t  _ care _ . Ugh. Useless, stupid children. She kind of missed Zoe, but at the same time, she didn’t like  _ her _ , either. None of these random humans were who she wanted to end up with. Honestly, she kind of just hoped she could see her sister as a zombie and then just die. Maybe the other three would give her a pretty funeral. Or maybe they would just have a party. Who knew? Somewhere in the very back of her mind, she did have a little hope that her friends would cry over her corpse, but she couldn’t be sure they would. Why care if she couldn’t be sure? Feelings were overrated anyways.

“Do you think they’ll ever forgive me?” Jesse whispered, looking a little green.

“Well, I can’t say ‘yes’, but I have this overwhelming feeling that you don’t want me to say ’no’,” Everxst considered what other solid answer she could offer.

“You’re  _ really _ helpful,” Jesse hissed.

“Well, you did basically kill her brother.”

Everxst watched in bemusement as Jesse jolted forward abruptly, smacking against the wheel. The car swerved slightly and Jesse rushed to correct her mistake. She bit the right side of her bottom lip hard, seeming to hold back something. A sob? A gasp? A scream? Everxst wasn’t sure.

“Tr-Trever?” Jesse spluttered dicordinantly.

“What? Girl, where have you  _ been _ ? Travis! You know, the one that  _ died _ ,” Everxst splayed out her hands in a ‘duh’ motion.

“Oh, oh! Yes, yes, yes, that one,” Jesse muttered to herself, definitely turning green this time.

“Are you okay? You look like crap,” Everxst snorted.

“No! No, I’m not okay!” Jesse looked over at Everxst, keeping the car straight, “It’s my fault! I said it wasn’t. I told myself over, and over again that  _ it wasn’t my fault _ , but it is!  _ I _ didn’t tell her. I could have sh-shot Tre-Travis in the head and never told Margaret, or I could have explained. But no, because I was a coward, I made her kill HER OWN BROTHER! What kind of sick human being does that, hmm? I made my best friend kill her own family because I couldn’t! She has every right to be mad at me. She has even more right to shoot  _ me _ in the head.”

Everxst smirked, “She wouldn’t go that far.”

Jesse turned her eyes back to the road and whispered, “But I deserve it nonetheless.”

Everxst wasn’t sure what to say. She wanted to comfort Jesse, but wasn’t quite sure how. She didn’t usually feel this way - _ caring _ . It just never mattered. Now, everyone was emotionally exhausted and frustrated, and they had a plan that was more likely to get them killed then not. Now,  _ now _ , it mattered; and she still didn’t know what to do. So, she didn’t say anything back. 

  
  


It was about four hours later - after deafening silence - that Everxst finally saw something that wasn’t concrete or forest. Jesse had been silent the whole time, not even a sigh, and had kept her eyes on the road. It had been seventeen hours since Jesse last slept, and the girl hadn’t even gotten droopy eyes. Everxst was surprised that Jesse could go so long without moving a muscle, but then again, the archer looked like she was dead. She had those same stress lines from earlier adorning her forehead, the same pale green hue to her face, the same white-knuckle grip on the leather wheel, and the same dead look in her eyes. The same look that burrowed deep into Margaret’s eyes the moment her brother hit the pavement. Defeat, loss, submission,  _ death _ . Complete surrender to anger, rath, and grief. Pure, raw, unrefined hate clouded Margaret’s gaze, while only self-loathing floated along Jesse’s conscious.

“Gas station!” Everxst pointed excitedly.

“For the car!” Jesse sighed thankfully.

“Well, I was thinking ‘food’, but that works, too,” Everxst shrugged noncommittally.

Jesse just gave her a bewildered look and parked the truck next to a gas pump. When Jesse climbed out of the car, she immediately turned to go get the other two, and then stopped. She seemed to be contemplating something rather profound, so Everxst watched her in amusement, absentmindedly picking at her chipped nail polish.

“C-Could you. . .?” Jesse loosely gesticulated in the direction of the van.

She decided to take pity on Jesse, because Everxst was such a wonderful friend herself, “Yah, of course.”

She walked to the back of the van as Jesse seemed to be trying to fold in on herself. Banging on the doors loudly, she waited for either Lou or Margaret to open them. The doors swung open after but a few moments, revealing Margaret - who looked creepily like Jesse did now - and Lou curled up next to the doors. Lou eyed Everxst in irritation as she chewed on what looked like beef jerky. 

“Well?” Lou asked in irritation.

“Want more food? We’re at a gas station,” Everxst raised her eyebrows tellingly.

Lou seemed to catch on to what Everxst was telling her. Jesse and Margaret needed to be left alone. Everxst knew that if her and Lou waited ten minutes, they would either walk out to Margaret and Jesse hugging, or killing each other. So really, it was a fifty-fifty chance.

“Let’s go grab some snacks,” Lou said lightly.

  
  


Jesse saw Everxst and Lou walk leisurely into the station’s store. She knew that Margaret was probably standing somewhere behind the van, puttering around in the oppressing darkness. Jesse unhooked the van from the truck and began pushing it back, lining it up with the gas pump. Who knew when they would need both the cars fueled and ready? So, she switched the van to ‘park’ and filled it, and the truck, with gasoline. Of course, she had to disassemble part of the pump to avoid paying, but those were the finer details.

Margaret, leaning on the opposite side of the van, kept looking over her shoulder, wishing that she could send flames through the van, right into the back of Jesse’s thick skull. If only. That slimy little piece of crap  _ deserved _ to be burned alive. Margaret was furious that they couldn’t just kick Jesse into a den of zombies and call it good. The little trash wad made her  _ kill her own brother _ . If they got separated, and Margaret ever had to see her again, it would be three eternities too soon.

Jesse pulled the pump out of both the vehicles and then paused. She turned to maybe go find Margaret, and heard a sudden bang. Turning so quickly her back popped, Jesse started towards the station’s store. She pursed her lips and stopped, though, when she saw Everxst and Lou. The two were coming out from behind one of the shelves, looking perplexed. Margaret was staring worriedly at the building, as well.

“He-” Jesse turned toward Margaret, but was cut off by a scream.

Lou and Everxst came running out in a panic. Both of them threw the food that was in their arms into the back of the van. Everxst screamed at Jesse to ‘drive the damned car far away’ and then hopped into the van with Lou close behind. Jesse rushed for the truck, but Margaret hauled herself into the driver’s seat. Twisting quickly, Jesse saw the object - or  _ objects _ \- of fear ambling out of the store. There were just  _ so many _ zombies. They were everywhere!

Jesse hurled herself into the passenger seat of the truck, figuring Margaret would leave her there in a heartbeat. Apparently, Jesse was right because the truck started moving before she was completely in her seat. Margaret tore out of the gas station, knocking anything in front of her out of the way. It was pitch black outside, with the headlights being the only light for miles. The taillights were, unfortunately, not working. Jesse gripped her seat roughly with one hand while bracing herself against the dashboard with the other. Across from her, she could see Margaret’s dimly lit features full of fury. No fear, just anger. It was a weak anger, though. There was no real fire in her dark eyes, just resignation. Jesse bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, knowing without a doubt, that was her fault. Margaret was under no illusions, she knew her parents were dead; there was no way they could have survived. Now, it was just Margaret, because Jesse knew they would never find Trever; at least, not the way they wanted. She had been too cowardly to kill Travis, and she never made the same mistake twice.

Jesse lurched when the car halted suddenly, cutting off any further thought. Margaret flew out of the truck, trying to get as far away from Jesse as possible. Jesse watched her go around to the back end of the car, probably to check on the other two.

“ _ Where’s the van _ ?” Margaret growled threateningly.

She knew Margaret was angry, but was she calling Jesse stupid? “It’s right the-”

No, it wasn’t. Jesse cautiously climbed out of the passenger seat, examining the empty space behind the truck. She opened her mouth, to scream, to shout, to whisper, to cry? Jesse stuttered out something resembling an apology. For the first time in hours, she saw true emotion in Margaret’s eyes: pure, raw, murderous bloodlust.

Margaret screamed and tackled Jesse. She punched the archer so hard that she heard a snap, but she didn’t care. Margaret just kept hitting her, listening to the pleas and pained, desperate noises. She could tell Jesse didn’t want to hit her back, and at this point, the girl really couldn’t.

When Margaret finally stopped, where, before, she would have been appalled, now she only felt sick satisfaction. Jesse’s face was bloody, with quickly forming bruises on her slightly tanned skin. Margaret could tell she had broken Jesse’s nose, and by the look of it, her cheekbone, as well. She wanted to kill the archer, but she wouldn’t, not now.

Climbing off of Jesse, Margaret slowly stood, “Get in the car.”

Jesse wobbled to her feet, looking dizzy and disheveled with a bloody face and torn clothes. Margaret jumped into the driver's seat once more, patiently waiting until Jesse had settled herself in the back row of seats, leaning heavily on the door. She seemed to be trying to collapse into nothing, and it almost looked like it was working. Margaret still felt no remorse, and maybe, she never would.

She jerked the steering wheel around, making a one-eighty and slamming the gas pedal with her foot. She wasn’t going to leave behind two people she  _ actually _ cared about, not ever.

When they reached the gas station, it was eerily quiet. Margaret stalked out of the car, not surprised that Jesse didn’t follow her. There were no zombies, no corpses, and no van. Only the scid marks of tire tracks. For just a second, Margaret allowed herself a small smile, thinking of the comical scene of meek Lou and sassy Everxst fighting off a hoard of decomposing monsters. That smile fell when she realized it was reality.

Margaret filled as many containers full of gasoline as she could find, throwing them one by one into the truck bed. She didn’t need Jesse’s help when she had so much adrenaline coursing through her body, sending her mind into overdrive.

As soon as she finished, she got back into the car and, using the light emanating from the front of the car, followed the tracks the van had left. She followed them for as long as she could before they stopped. . . and gave way to nothing. There was no van, or people waiting. At least there were no bodies.

This time, when Margaret stopped the truck and got out, Jesse followed. The two made their way over to the edge of a patch of trees where something was embedded in the bark of a spruce. Wiggling it free, Margaret rotated it in her hand, finding an hourglass engraved in the metal of the knife where the blade met the hilt. That was what Margaret carved into all of her knives. . . and Everxst’s. The sleek black handle was just the same, and coppery blood covered the whole weapon.

Jesse looked up, and Margaret saw the same spirit and fire from hell in her eyes as there used to be.

“Let’s find them,” Margaret nodded, and Jesse agreed.

\- S. Hanson

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please comment!


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